Midfielder Jorge âZurdoââ Rojas has been a Red Bull target for months, with the Post reporting the clubâs interest in him in April. And now the second-most capped player in Venezuelan history is close to being signed, sealed and delivered for the July 15 transfer window.

We have not finalized anything yet, but weâre doing our best to sign him, and itâs very close. Thatâs where it is with us. Weâre getting close. If we manage to do that, it would be great,” said coach Juan Carlos Osorio, who has been tracking the star for years. “I have been at (Millonarios) very interested in signing him. Heâs a good player. Hopefully we will do it.ââ

It’s easy to see why he’s so interested. Check out the run and perfectly-weighted pass at the 3:15 mark of this clip, and picture Jozy Altidore or Juan Pablo Angel with this kind of service. That’s what Rojas could provide.

The 31-year-old winger said in an interview that he and the club are close to signing a contract, with only minor details to be cleared up before he comes to New York. Here are some of the Postâs reports of the teamâs pursuit.

As his nickname means lefty, not surprisingly, heâs a left-winger who has also played left fullback. But Osorio views him as an attacking midfielder, either on the flank or as a central midfielder. And he’s a proven Copa Libertadores performer.

After winning four Venezuelan championships with Caracas and another Colombian title with Atletico Nacional in Colombia, he moved on to Union Atletico Maracaibo, a government-run team in Venezuela.

Osorio came close to prying him away from Maracaibo this preseason, but the team held on to him as they were playing in Copa Libertadores, and the player decided to stay.

It turned out to be a bad decision, because the cash-strapped club couldnât afford to pay his wages or his rent. He agreed to take a fraction of what they owed him in return for them letting him go on a free transfer. Red Bull has received the paperwork ensuring no transfer fee will be required, so now all that remains is to agree to terms with El Zurdo.

âHe was playing with another team, fighting for a chance go into Copa Libertadores again, which they didnât do. That opened up an opportunity for him to call me again, which he did,” Osorio said. “Once they gave him that paper, I said to him I still want to bring him here.ââ

Giovanni Savarese was in Ft. Lauderdale last Saturday, watching his Venezuelan countryman excel against Honduras. Before that tilt, Rojas had told media he was in negotiations with Red Bull and that his deal with Maracaibo had been ripped up.

Univision and ESPN Deportes have both picked up on the story. Now Rojas will suit up against for Venezuela against powerhouse Brazil Friday in Foxboro.

Heâs hasnât been a prolific scorer with only two goals in his 80 caps. He tallied in a 3-2 loss at Spain in 2004 and this nice give-and-go this past Feb. 2 against Haiti. You can see he’s active, all over this video _ he’s No. 17 _ and has a cannon left-foot, evidenced here in this golazo for Nacional.

But he’s more of a playmaker, setting up another score against Haiti in a seperately friendly just four days later with as pinpoint cross onto the head of Alexander Rondon at the 3:30 mark of this video.

Rojas is one of three targets that the Post reported Osorio is chasing. Young Venezuelan fullback Gabriel Cichero is a player Osorio likes, but he ISN’T one of those three, because the 24-year-old is too expensive.

Diego Jimenez is still holding a contract offer from Red Bull, and left to handle a family matter. But he has to make a decision this week, because Osorio is prepared to dip into the Argentinean market for another defender at least as good as the Mexican.